All social media apps rely on your data to help them monetize through third-party advertisers, but some are notoriously worse than others. In your never-ending quest to make your accounts as private and secure as possible (to the extent that it is even possible to do this), you may be wondering which social media apps are the worst of the worst when it comes to data. Maybe you’re open to deleting a few of these apps or perhaps you would simply like to adjust your settings so that these apps don’t have access to your location and other personal details.
Whatever the case, when you are focusing your attention on apps, these four social media apps always seem to turn up on every expert’s list of apps that expose your data, making cyber attacks more of a risk.
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Meta Apps
The major Meta apps — Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — have been the subject of scrutiny these past few years for data practices that include sharing their data for the purpose of monetizing via third-party advertisers. The old adage “if an app is free, you are the product” rings especially true when it comes to these apps. Facebook, in particular, kickstarted our distrust in social media apps and their data habits after Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal.
TikTok
A social media app that is owned by a company called ByteDance based in China — what could go wrong? Considering there are allegations that TikTok collects users’ data and shares it with Chinese government authorities, that is up for debate, but not a minor consideration.
Over the years, concerns have arisen over how Twitter collects data and tracks its users’ activity, and even how it responds when government officials request user information. Many have claimed it is not the most safe and secure social media platform.
Snapchat
In 2014, Snapchat experienced a data breach that exposed its users’ phone numbers. Snapchat is also under a microscope for how it uses location data and other private information from its users.
